Child safety seat mobile alarm and method therefor

ABSTRACT

The instant disclosure provides a child safety seat alarm to notify the driver of a vehicle that an infant is in its carrier inside of the vehicle when a personal electronic device carried by the driver is moved a great distance from the carrier. The instant disclosure provides a computer application for notification of user selected contacts via SMS messaging, e-mail messaging, or social media alerts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/969,574 filed on Mar.24, 2014 and claims priority to and is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/035,410 filed on Sep. 24, 2013, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,189,943, which itself claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/704,811 filed on Sep. 24, 2012 and Ser. No.61/788,037 filed on Mar. 15, 2013, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties and are allcommonly owned.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to intellectual property rights such as but not limitedto copyright, trademark, and/or trade dress protection. The owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records but otherwise reserves all rightswhatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a child safety seat with alarm for usein connection with transporting infants in vehicles. The child safetyseat with alarm has particular utility in connection with notifying thedriver of a vehicle that an infant is in its carrier inside of thevehicle when the driver moves away from the vehicle.

2. Description of the Known Art

Child safety seats with alarms are desirable for notifying the driver ofa vehicle that an infant is in its carrier inside of the vehicle.Children frequently fall asleep when being transported in vehicles. As aresult, it is possible for a driver to forget that they are transportinga child if the baby remains quiet for a long period of time. Forgettinga child inside of a vehicle can result in severe injury to or the deathof the child from extreme temperature conditions and/or dehydration.Child safety seats with alarms not only protect the child in the eventof accident, but also remind the driver of the presence of the childthrough visual and audio alerts.

The use of child alert systems for automobiles is known in the priorart. For example, U.S. Patent Publication 20140015664 to Watsondiscloses a child car seat system that alarms a guardian of a child thatthe child has accidently been left in the child car seat. The systemcomprises of a child car seat that has seat belt that is wired to atransmitter, the seat belt has a first terminal and second terminallocking latch, when the first terminal and second terminal lockinglatches are latched to each other, a closed electrical loop is formedand a first signal is transmitted from the transmitter, when the firstand second terminal locking latches are unlatched, a second signal istransmitted from the transmitter. The system further comprises of areceiver, the receiver defines at least one alarm that warns the user ofthe system that a child has been left in the child car seat, thereceiver activates when it receives the first signal and deactivatedwhen it receives the second signal, the receiver has a sensor that willactivate the alarm if the receiver is moved a certain distance away fromtransmitter when the receiver is activated. The receiver can be a keyfob, but does not contemplate other signal technology, such asBluetooth®, nor is there an ability to signal multiple receivers.Further, the system does not contemplate a second car seat in anothervehicle for another guardian.

U.S. Patent Publication 20140052342 to Seibert discloses a childseat-vehicle safety system for a passenger vehicle, including at leastone child seat buckle signaling device, which includes a bucklingdetector, and a buckling detector for signaling the buckle status, and aportable controller device that attaches to the On-Board Diagnostic II(OBD-II) port of the vehicle, for detecting the status of the vehicleignition system, receiving the buckle status signal, and generating analarm signal in response to a predetermined condition of the ignitionstatus and the buckle status signal. The portable controller device alsocan include an alarm that is responsive to the alarm signal. Theinvention includes a method of warning a vehicle operator that a childhas been left buckled in a vehicle after the vehicle's ignition systemhas been turned off, including detecting the vehicle ignition statusselected from “on” and “off” through the OBD-II port, receiving a bucklestatus signal transmitted from the child seat buckle signaling device,and generating an alarm signal when the ignition status is “off” and thebuckle status signal is ‘buckled’ beyond a predetermined grace ortimeout period. However, this system's reliance on OBD-II makes thesystem inoperable for any vehicles pre-1996.

U.S. Patent Publication 20130106598 to Silveira discloses a portablevehicle alarm system alerts a vehicle operator of the presence of achild/pet left in the vehicle. The system includes at least one firstportable wireless alarm unit in communication with a second portablewireless unit. The first and second portable wireless alarm unitsinclude a microprocessor in communication with a transmitter andreceiver, having a power supply. The first portable unit is located on akey chain. The second wireless unit has attachment means for attachmentto a seat belt associated with a child's car seat or a pet's collar. Anactivation sensor detects a disengagement action related to the vehicle,including powering-off of the vehicle ignition or unbuckling of thedriver's seat belt. A distance sensor has a selected range. If the rangeis exceeded, an audible alarm is actuated from the first unit. However,this system requires modification to the vehicle to use the alarm. Thismodification can be costly. The invention also requires the driver topower off the vehicle or unbuckle the seat, requiring additional wiringthat can malfunction. Lastly, the invention does not utilize theexisting seat belt of the car seat, but instead uses a clip thatattaches to the seat belt that can easily be lost in the back seat of acar or destroyed by the child.

U.S. Patent Publication 20090079557 to Miner discloses a wireless,self-activating, proximity warning system utilizes an on-board computerof an automobile and a GPS locating system to sending a warning signalto a vehicle operator that a child has been left buckled and unattendedin an infant seat. A transmitter associated with the child seattransmits coded RF signals of certain strength to a receiver carried bythe operator. The receiver triggers an alarm when the signal strength ortime between transmitted signals indicates that the operator has gonebeyond a permitted range. However, this system requires modification tothe vehicle to use the alarm. As mentioned above, this modification canbe costly. The system also requires the use of an existing GPS system oron-board computer of the car that not all vehicles are equipped with.Lastly, the invention does not utilize the existing seat belt of the carseat, but instead uses a chest strap. Chest straps for car seats aretypically more flimsy than the buckle, which could lead to breakage ofany inserted electrical components over time, and are more suspect tothe child unsecuring the connection, thus deactivating the alarm system.Finally, the chest strap is in a more central location for liquid spillsto come in contact with the electrical components.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,659,414 to Schuk discloses a wireless child proximitymonitoring and alarm system for use with child seats for vehiclesincludes a separable seat monitor for affixation to the seat's shoulderstraps. The seat monitor has a first housing affixable to one of theshoulder straps and a second housing affixable to a second shoulderstrap. The second housing has a transceiver for wireless communicationand a microcontroller integrated with the transceiver. A micro switch iscommunicative with the microcontroller and is responsive to theproximity of the first housing. A connecting strap extends between thehousings and is separable from at least one housing. A key fob forretention by a child caregiver has a fob case and a transceiver thereinfor wireless communication with the seat monitor transceiver. Amicrocontroller is integrated with the transceiver, and an alarm isselectively operable between a first silent state and a second audiblealarm generating state. However, this system uses only the chest strapsto trigger the alarm and places all electronic components in the cheststrap. As explained above, the use of the chest strap for the electroniccomponents can be problematic.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,451,110 to Takeshita discloses a seat belt warningapparatus capable of stopping the operation of a buzzer, for example,when a passenger has moved from a rear seat to another seat, such as afront passenger's seat, and fastens the seat belt, the seat belt warningapparatus outputs a notice when the number of seats where seat belts arefastened except a driver's seat is reduced, and stops the output of thenotice when the number of seats where the seat belts are fastened exceptthe driver's seat is equal to or more than that when the notice isoutput. However, this system requires modification of the vehicle foruse and only alerts if the passenger changes seats during the trip.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,378,801 to Freeman et al. discloses a system fordetermining abandonment of a child or infant in a vehicle. The systemfeatures a remote key in communication with sensors operativelyconnected to seatbelts in a vehicle. If a user presses the lock buttonon the remote key the sensors determine if any seatbelt has been leftengaged. If a seatbelt is engaged an alarm is activated on the remotekey. If no seatbelt is left engaged, the vehicle doors become locked. Tooverride the alarm, and override button must be pushed on the remotekey. An unlock button on the remote key unlocks the vehicle doors andthe system is reset. However, this system only check if a child isbuckled in the vehicle if the driver attempts to lock the doors, notwhen the driver leaves the vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,289,145 to Miller et al. discloses a wireless seatbeltmonitoring system and method is provided for informing a driver that aseatbelt that should be latched is unlatched. The system includes awireless seatbelt assembly having a buckle equipped with a piezoelectricelement and a transmitter. The transmitter sends a wireless seatbeltstatus signal when the seatbelt assembly is buckled by harvesting energyduring the insertion process. The wireless seatbelt status signal istransmitted to a dedicated repeater module, which retransmits thewireless seatbelt status signal to a receiver. Based upon the wirelessseatbelt status signal, the system informs the driver of the status ofthe seatbelt assemblies audibly, visually, or both. However, this systemrequires modification to the vehicle to use the alarm. Further, thesystem does not monitor the location of the driver and merely focuses onwhether the seat belt is latched.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,217,796 to Trummer discloses an alarm and monitoringsystem for the attachment of safety harnesses and temperature readingsfor respective child seat occupants within the car. The monitoringcomponent details the attached “status” of said harnesses throughindicator lights on the main operator dashboard along with on the systemdevice. Alarm features automatically warn either the driver orsurrounding bystanders or emergency personnel of alarm situationincluding temperature variances, harness disengagement, accident orunattended occupant warnings. The Child Seat Safety System can reducethe risk of small children being injured due to unattached seat beltsduring accident, braking or collision, and can reduce exposure tounhealthy temperatures either during driving or from extended lengths oftime being unattended in a car. However, this alarm focuses only onwhether the occupant is buckled, not whether the driver is in the carwith the occupant.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,125,343 to Denale discloses a system for child safetyrelating to a child safety seat that is in communication with theinternal wiring or computer system of a vehicle such that when thevehicle ignition is turned off and the child safety seat is engaged, anaudible alert is emitted through the vehicle speakers. However, thissystem requires modification to the vehicle to work as well as the useof a newer vehicle with a computer system and speakers.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,120,499 to Ortiz discloses a warning system thatutilizes a belt like device comprised of two sections connected togetherwith magnets. The free ends of the two sections can be equipped withclips for securing each section to either child or caregiver. When thecaregiver gets out of the vehicle the magnets and their respectivesections separate, and a tune, tone, song, or some other audible signalis played through a speaker on the device. The audible signal could beactivated by the use of a magnetic sensor or magnetic switch. Theaudible signal would alert and remind the caregiver that a child isstill in the vehicle. However, this disclosure requires the use of aspecific belt that can be easily overlooked.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,063,788 to Morningstar discloses a warning system fornotifying another person when a child is left in a child safety seat.The system recognizes a child in a child safety seat by either apressure pad or a secured child seat lap belt. The system is activatedby the release of the driver's seat belt. Should a child remain in theseat when the driver's seat belt is disengaged, the system alarmsnotifying the driver of such. The alarm would include a calm audiooutput such as a lullaby, a song, or a story. The system can beintegrated into the OEM features to provide an alert escalation processusing a local alert, a vehicle alert, a wireless alert and ultimately a911 alert. However, the system requires a vehicle with OnStar® orsimilar device. Additionally, the system relies upon the activation ofthe driver's seat belt, which may not always be utilized.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,733,228 to Lee discloses a wireless system that detectsthe presence of a child in a safety seat located in the passenger cabinof a vehicle includes a controller responsive to signals generated bysensors monitoring predefined functions of the vehicle, RFID tag deviceattached to the safety seat and RFID tag reader mounted in the cabin.The system generates control signals which activate an alarm, open thedoors of the vehicle and roll down windows if the child is left in thesafety seat of an unattended vehicle. However, this system requiresmodification to the vehicle to use the alarm, requires the presence of aRFID reader which can be costly, and relies upon a pressure sensor padin the car seat to detect the presence of the child, which creates apotential issue with the sensor as it can be dislodged during use, thusdeactivating the alarm. Lastly, the system requires that the vehicle beequipped with automatic doors and windows for use.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,714,737 to Morningstar discloses a warning system fornotifying another person when a child is left in a child safety seat.The system recognizes a child in a child safety seat by either apressure pad or a secured child seat lap belt. The system is activatedby the release of the driver's seat belt. Should a child remain in theseat when the driver's seat belt is disengaged, the system alarmsnotifying the driver of such. The alarm would include a calm audiooutput such as a lullaby, a song, or a story. The system can beintegrated into the OEM features to provide an alert escalation processusing a local alert, a vehicle alert, a wireless alert and ultimately a911 alert. However, the system requires a vehicle with OnStar® orsimilar device. Additionally, the system relies upon the activation ofthe driver's seat belt, which may not always be utilized.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,466,217 to Johnson discloses a system for signaling thata person is in an vehicle is provided and includes a power source, aprocessing unit including a counter, a state monitoring unit configuredto monitor an internal temperature of the vehicle and to monitor whetherthe vehicle is in an off state and a door monitoring unit configured tomonitor whether any of the vehicle doors are open or closed, a firstbuckle receiver, including a first signal issuing unit, a first buckleto be removably inserted into the buckle receiver and to thereby causethe first signal issuing unit to issue an installation signal to theprocessing unit, a second buckle receiver, including a second signalissuing unit, a second buckle to be removably inserted into the secondbuckle receiver and to thereby cause the second signal issuing unit toissue an occupation signal to the processing unit, and an alarm unit.However, this system requires modification to the vehicle to use thealarm and requires the use of the car ignition to activate the alarm.The alarm also does not measure the distance of the driver from thevehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,391,310 to Ito discloses a seatbelt alarm device for avehicle includes a seat sensor, a seatbelt sensor, a judgment circuit,an alarm unit, and a child seat sensor. The seat sensor detects a masson a seat of the vehicle. The seatbelt sensor detects whether a seatbeltof the seat is engaged with a seatbelt buckle. The judgment circuitgenerates a demand for a seatbelt-wear alarm upon determining that amass sits on the seat and the seatbelt is not engaged according todetection signals of the seat sensor and the seatbelt sensor,respectively. The alarm unit generates the seatbelt-wear alarm. Thechild seat sensor detects a child seat mounted on the seat. The judgmentcircuit restricts operation of the alarm unit when the judgment circuitdetermines that the child seat is mounted to the seat according to adetection signal of the child seat sensor. However, this system requiresmodification to the vehicle to use the alarm and requires a pressuresensitive pad in the driver's seat to activate, adding more costlymodifications to the vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,378,979 to Rams discloses a system for detecting thepresence of a child in a car, when the driver exits the vehicle. Asensor is connected to the seat belt of the baby's car seat or to therear seat belts. Once the seat belt is inserted into the belt buckle, analarm circuit is activated. When the driver enters the vehicle and sitsdown, the system detects the presence of the driver and de-activates thealarm circuit. When the driver exits, the alarm circuit is thenre-activated. The system includes a delay timer that gives the drivertime to enter and exit the vehicle without setting off the alarmcircuit. When the alarm circuit is activated, a timer for the time delaybegins. At the end of the time delay (e.g., relay is transferred), ifthe driver has not disabled the alarm circuit by re-entering the vehicleor taking the child out of the vehicle, the alarm circuit will be setoff warning signals and will remain energized until disabled. However,this system requires modification to the vehicle to use the alarm andrequires a pressure sensitive pad in the driver's seat to activate,adding more costly modifications to the vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,321,306 to Lee et al. discloses a wireless system thatdetects the presence of a child in a safety seat located in thepassenger cabin of a vehicle includes a controller responsive to signalsgenerated by sensors monitoring predefined functions of the vehicle,RFID tag device attached to the safety seat and RFID tag reader mountedin the cabin. The system generates control signals which activate analarm, open the doors of the vehicle and roll down windows if the childis left in the safety seat of an unattended vehicle. However, thissystem requires modification to the vehicle to use the alarm, requiresthe presence of a RFID reader which can be costly, and relies upon apressure sensor pad in the car seat to detect the presence of the child,which creates a potential issue with the sensor as it can be dislodgedduring use, thus deactivating the alarm. Lastly, the system requiresthat the vehicle be equipped with automatic doors and windows for use.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,224,270 to Patterson et al. discloses a child seatadapted for use in a vehicle, the child seat comprising: a shellportion; a harness for securing a child to the child seat, the harnesscomprising adjustable harness tether(s) secured to the shell portion atone end and having a latch plate at the other, the latch plate beingconfigured to releasably engage a buckle of the harness; a tensionsensor(s) for providing a signal indicative of a tension of theadjustable harness tether(s); and an electronic control unit secured tothe shell portion, the electronic control unit being operably coupled tothe tension sensor(s) to receive the signal, the electronic control unitbeing capable of processing the signal to compare the signal to a signalindicative of a predetermined range of acceptable tension, wherein theelectronic control unit provides an output indicating whether thetension of the adjustable harness tether(s) is(are) within thepredetermined range. However, this disclosure merely determines if thechild safety harness is properly secured and does not determine theposition of the driver in relation to the car seat.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,207 to Marchan discloses an alarm which includes apressure-actuated sensor positional beneath the seat liner of a vehiclechild seat. The sensor includes a plastic enclosure positionedthereabout for shielding the sensor from foreign elements. A speaker iscoupled to the sensor and is attachable to an outer surface of the childseat. A push button switch is coupled to the sensor and the speaker, andis attachable to a vehicle door. The switch includes a female receptacleand a male plug mateable therewith. The receptacle and plug communicatewith the sensor. The sensor generates and transmits a signal when athreshold weight is detected and the vehicle door is ajar. The speakerreceives the signal and emits an audible signal and continues to emitthe signal until at least one sensor and push bottom switch are reset. Apower source is coupled to the speaker. However, this disclosurerequires modification to the vehicle to use the alarm. As mentionedabove, this modification can be costly. Specifically with thisdisclosure, the modification entails door wiring modifications. Thealarm relies upon a sensor within the car seat, which creates apotential issue with the sensor as it can be dislodged during use, thusdeactivating the alarm. Lastly, the alarm relies upon speakers on thechild seat, rather than a speaker on the driver through a fob orpersonal electronic device.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,998,988 to Kalce discloses an infant alarm system forautomobiles for alarming when the driver seat is unoccupied has apressure sensor pad for detecting the presence of a person in a carseat. A belt buckle switch is for determining whether a belt buckle isbuckled into an infant car seat. A control box is electrically connectedto the pressure sensor pad and the belt buckle switch. The control boxis for outputting an alarm signal when the belt buckle switch indicatesthat the belt buckle is buckled into the infant car seat and thepressure sensor pad does not detect the presence of the person in thecar seat. However, this system requires modification to the vehicle touse the alarm. As mentioned above, this modification can be costly.Additionally, this system requires use of an on/off switch to activateand deactivate the alarm. This additional step can easily be overlookedduring a busy morning, thus leaving the potential for the alarm systemto be unarmed.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,924,742 to Mesina discloses a seat belt alarm systemwhich activates an alarm when a child is buckled in a car seat and whenthe car key is removed from the ignition. The seat belt alarm systemincludes a belt buckle having a belt-buckled sensor and a transmitterthat transmits a belt-buckled signal when the belt is buckled. A remotekey module includes a key-removed sensor that senses when the key is notin a keyhole. The key module further includes a receiver and an alarmdevice that is activated when the key is not in the keyhole and thebelt-buckled signal is received from the transmitter. In anothervariation, a controller is provided. The controller may be coupled tovarious components including the belt-buckled sensor, a key-removedsensor, a transmitter and additional devices such as a horn, airconditioning, etc. The controller instructs the transmitter to send anactivate-alarm signal to a receiver in the key module when abelt-buckled signal and a key-removed signal are input to thecontroller. The alarm device may provide a sound, vibration, light, oranother indicator. Another variation includes a removable baby seat witha seat belt alarm system. Still another variation includes an automobilehaving a seat belt alarm system. However, this unit requiresmodification to the vehicle to use the alarm and requires the carignition to activate. Lastly, the alarm system requires a pressuresensitive pad in the driver's seat to activate, adding more modificationto the vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,909,365 to Toles discloses a child safety seat with asafety seat unit. An alarm unit is coupled to the safety seat unit. Thealarm unit sounds an alarm to remind occupants of the vehicle when achild is sitting in the child safety seat after the ignition of thevehicle in which the child safety seat is installed is turned off.However, this unit requires modification to the vehicle to use the alarmand requires the car ignition to activate. Further, a specialized key isrequired to use the alarm, thus increasing the costs associated withthis alarm. The alarm is located in the chest strap, which as explainedabove, can be problematic in the long-term effectiveness of the alarm.And lastly, this invention does not monitor the location of the driverof the vehicle, but instead uses a timeout function.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,844 to Burgess discloses a child seat with abuilt-in alarm that alerts if the door is opened. However, the constantalerting by Burgess's system—as the door will always be opened even ifthe parent hasn't forgotten the child—inefficiently drains the powersupply of the alarm and also will unnecessarily wake a sleeping child.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,293 to Rossi discloses a warning system fordetecting presence of the child in an infant seat that detects the stateof the vehicle's ignition system. However, the Rossi '293 patent overlycomplicates the alarm system by not only detecting a child is present,but also detecting whether the vehicle is still operating. Thiscomplicated dual detection system allows for potential failure of thesystem.

Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,509 to Rice discloses a voice-activatedvehicle alarm system that generates an output signal in response tosignals from a temperature sensor and a sound detector. However, theRice '509 patent lacks the ability to sound an alarm until a potentiallydangerous temperature has already been reached inside of the vehicle.

Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,070 to Thornton discloses a child alertalarm for automobiles that detects the presence of a child locked withina parked automobile during extreme temperatures. However, the Thornton'070 patent cannot sound an alarm until a potentially dangeroustemperature has already been reached inside of the vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,291 to Thornton discloses a child alert system forautomobiles. However, the Thornton '291 patent has a significantdrawback of not sounding an alarm until a potentially dangeroustemperature has already been reached inside of the vehicle.

In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,234 to Emery et al. discloses an infantvehicle seat alarm system that produces an audible or visual warningwhen the seat/carrier component is initially aligned on the basecomponent, not locked onto the base component, or when the harness is inan unused state. However, the Emery et al. '234 patent does not alertthe driver to the presence of an infant when the driver is away from thevehicle.

Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 306,099 to Kassai discloses a child's safetyseat for an automobile. However, the Kassai '099 patent does notgenerate an alarm when the driver is away from the vehicle.

While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particularobjectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describea child safety seat with alarm that allows notifying the driver of thevehicle that an infant is in its carrier inside of the vehicle when thedriver steps away from the vehicle.

Therefore, there is a need for a child safety alarm system which willwork with all vehicles, including those without sophisticated computer &GPS systems.

There is a need for an alarm system that is integrated with the car seatto avoid loss of components near young children. Any parent is aware ofthe risk of a child swallowing or chewing on items. Likewise, aschildren grow, they are more inquisitive and manipulative of theirenvironment. Older siblings are able to move components without theirparent's knowledge, thus potentially destroying the alarm system if theyremove and lose components.

There is a need for an alarm system that is integrated with the buckleof the car seat. Many of the inventions disclosed previously utilize thechest strap of the car seat. Chest straps for car seats are typicallymore flimsy than the buckle, which could lead to breakage of anyinserted electrical components over time, and are more suspect to thechild unsecuring the connection, thus deactivating the alarm system.Finally, the chest strap is in a more central location for liquid spillsto come in contact with the electrical components. Other inventions relyupon a weight sensor on the car seat that can become dislodged and notrespond to the presence of a child.

There is a need for an alarm system that travels with the driver if thedriver leaves the vehicle. Some of the disclosures rely upon the alarmsystem of the car or on the car seat itself. When a driver is a way fromthe vehicle, relying upon alarms within the vehicle are not effectiveways of alerting the driver. Therefore there is a need for an alarm thatis a close personal effect of the driver.

There is a need for an alarm system that monitors the location of thedriver rather than utilizing preset timeout functions to remind thedriver of the potential occupancy of the vehicle. Timeout functions canbe disregarded by the driver if they are instituted to quickly aftershutting off the ignition. Drivers of tiny humans can become distractedby gathering paraphernalia from the car and still forget the importantcargo within. Therefore, there is a need to tie the alarm system to thedriver's proximity to the car rather than the ignition.

There is a need for an alarm system that activates immediately uponconnection of the buckle of the car seat. Some previous disclosuresrequire the parent to arm the alarm system, but this step can beoverlooked easily, leaving the alarm system unarmed.

Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved child safety seat withalarm that can be used for notifying the driver of the vehicle that aninfant is in its carrier inside of the vehicle when the driver stepsaway from the vehicle. In this regard, the present inventionsubstantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the child safety seatwith alarm according to the present invention substantially departs fromthe conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing soprovides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of notifyingthe driver of the vehicle that an infant is in its carrier inside of thevehicle when the driver moves away from the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofchild alert systems for automobiles now present in the prior art, thepresent invention provides an improved child safety seat with a remotealarm system secured to the vehicle key, and overcomes theabove-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such,the general purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved childsafety seat with alarm which has all the advantages of the prior artmentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a childsafety seat with alarm which is not anticipated, rendered obvious,suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in anycombination thereof.

To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a childsafety seat having a buckle which requires a latching pin from alatching housing to be inserted within the buckle to fully latch. Whenreleased from the housing, the latching pin broadcasts a signal to thehousing while the housing is in range. Once the housing moves out of therange of the latching pin, the housing alerts to remind the parent thatthere is a child latched in the seat and outside of the range of theparent.

The invention may also include a speaker and lights comprising thealarm. The power source may consist of one single or multiple batteries.A device to monitor the status of the power source and alert the user ofa problem with the power source may be employed. The switch may beattached to the buckle to monitor the closure status of the buckle. Thepower source may be contained within a battery compartment having ahingedly attached lid. There are, of course, additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and which will form thesubject matter of the claims attached.

Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbe readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a readingof the following detailed description of presently current, butnonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect,before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and to the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose ofdescriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved child safety seat with alarm that has all of the advantages ofthe prior art child alert systems for automobiles and none of thedisadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved child safety seat with alarm that may be easily and efficientlymanufactured and marketed.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved child safety seat with alarm that has a low cost of manufacturewith regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is thensusceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, therebymaking such child safety seat with alarm economically available to thebuying public.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new childsafety seat with alarm that provides in the apparatuses and methods ofthe prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneouslyovercoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a childsafety seat with alarm for notifying the driver of the vehicle that aninfant is in its carrier inside of the vehicle when the driver moves adistance away from the carrier.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a child safetyseat with alarm for notifying the driver of the vehicle that an infantis in its carrier through both audible and visual alerts within thedriver's presence.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointedout with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part ofthis disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, itsoperating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated current embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following drawings, which form a part of the specification andwhich are to be construed in conjunction therewith, and in which likereference numerals have been employed throughout wherever possible toindicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is an environmental view of our invention with the housing andlatching pin inserted in the child seat buckle.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the alarm system;

FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of the same, the left side beinga mirror image;

FIG. 4 is a back elevational view of the same;

FIG. 5 is perspective view thereof;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the buckle;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view thereof;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the buckle component;

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 11 is right side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view thereof;

FIG. 13 is an exploded view thereof;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram corresponding to operations of the describedembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram corresponding to operations of the describedembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram corresponding to operations of the describedembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 18 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 19 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 20 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 21 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 22 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 23 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 24 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 25 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 26 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 27 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 28 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 29 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 30 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 31 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 32 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 33 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments;

FIG. 34 is a screenshot of the portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments; and

FIG. 35 is a flowchart corresponding to operations of the describedembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “anembodiment”, “one example” or “an example” means that a particularfeature, structure or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment of thepresent invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”,“in an embodiment”, “one example” or “an example” in various placesthroughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features,structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitablecombinations and/or sub-combinations in one or more embodiments orexamples. In addition, it is appreciated that the figures providedherewith are for explanation purposes to persons ordinarily skilled inthe art and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may be embodied asan apparatus, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, thepresent invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment,an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardwareaspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “module” or“system.” Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expressionhaving computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

Certain terms are defined below to facilitate understanding of exemplaryembodiments. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined below,it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent arthave given that term as reflected in printed publications and issuedpatents.

As used herein, the term “application” refers generally to a computerprogram that operates on a computer system, e.g., but not limited to, acomputer program operated within a cellphone or mobile device (a mobileapplication). Further examples of applications include programs thatperform a search in a database, receive and store information in atemporary memory of a mobile device, display selected information on amobile device, etc., and virtually any other type of program thatgenerates transactions or is responsive to transactions.

As used herein, the term “button” means a hard-button, icon, or otherobject that when clicked results in an action.

As used herein, the term “communications network” is to be interpretedbroadly and includes, but is not limited to, local area networks,telecommunications networks, wide area networks, modem connections, etc.Typically, a communications network will comprise a physical componentor physical connection that is made up of the wiring, interface cardsand other hardware combined with a specified communications protocol totransmit information from one physical connection to another.

As used herein, the term “microcontroller” means a controller on asingle integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, andprogrammable input/output peripherals.

As used herein, the term “portable electronic device” is any devicehaving a processor, memory, and an operating system, capable ofinteraction with a user or other computer and which can be used forcommunication over a wireless communication networks, such as a cellularphone, a walkie-talkie, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, asmart phone, or any combination thereof. Portable electronic devicesoperative in the present invention typically run a mobile softwareapplication to affect the functionality described herein.

As used herein, the term “SMS” means short message service, a textcommunication service available on many digital mobile devices or phonesthat permits the sending of short messages (also known as text messages,messages, or more colloquially SMSes, texts or even txts) between mobiledevices or phones.

As used herein, the terms “wireless communication” and “wirelesslycommunicate” generally refers to a transmission of communicationsignals, such as voice signals and/or data signals, between devices. Forexample, as described herein, a transceiver, may wirelessly communicatewith a portable electronic device. In addition, as used herein, the term“wireless communication protocol” refers generally to a communicationsprotocol that facilitates transmitting and receiving communicationssignals over a wireless connection. Examples of wireless communicationprotocols include Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, and ZigBee® (Bluetooth® is aregistered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc., Bellevue, Wash., USA, andZigBee® is a registered trademark of ZigBee Alliance Corporation, SanRamon, Calif., USA). However, various embodiments of the invention mayutilize alternative protocols.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, a currentembodiment of the child safety seat with alarm of the present inventionis shown and generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

In FIG. 1, a new and improved child safety seat with alarm system oralert system 10 of the present invention for monitoring the occupancy ofa child safety seat and notifying the driver of the vehicle that a childis in its seat inside of the vehicle when the driver moves a distanceaway from the seat is illustrated and will be described. Moreparticularly, the child safety seat with alarm system 10 has a childsafety seat 12 in place on a vehicle seat.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the alarm system 10 has two separatecomponents, the first being the buckle component 34 which may be securedwithin the buckle system 15 of the child safety seat and the secondbeing the driver component 36 that is personal to the driver and stayswith the driver. The alarm system 10 is engaged when the female end 18of the lap buckle system 15 receives the male end buckle 14 or when thedriver activates the system 10 from the driver component 36. It isenvisioned that the alarm system 10 may be engaged by a pressure sensoror switch 51 (shown in FIG. 8) within the buckle system 10 or electroniccircuit 60 located within female end of the buckle system 10 thatactivates when a corresponding circuit on the opposing male end ismatched to it. The alarm system 10 is placed within the lap bucklesystem as the lap buckle 15 is more robust than the chest buckle of mostcar seats, allowing the electronic components of the system 10 to bebetter insulated from exterior pressure on the unit and from liquidspills. Additionally, children can more easily disengage the chestbuckle, thus disengaging the alarm.

The buckle component 34 is shown in more detail in FIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 1 in one embodiment, the buckle 14 for a child safety seat is shownin a closed position. In order for the alarm system 10 to engage, thebuckle 14 must latch fully. As will be discussed more fully below, oncethe male end is inserted in the latch of the buckle 14, a sensor 51 isactivated within the female end 18 that instructs a transceiver 70(shown in detail in FIG. 13) within the buckle component 34 to broadcasta wireless signal 101 for reception by the driver component 36. Thetransceiver 70 can include an antenna for radio transmission as well.The wireless communications can be based on many different wirelesscommunication protocols. The transceiver 70 may additionally beconfigured with GPS technology to allow for positioning of the device10. The buckle component 34 may include one or more transceivers 70which individually can communicate with a different driver component 36.

The driver component 36 may be a portable device 19 or a portableelectronic device 100. A portable device 19 capable of receiving thewireless communication from the transceiver 70 (or vice versa) is shownin more detail in FIGS. 2-6. The transceiver 70 (shown in FIG. 13) canbroadcast to a receiver 27 integrated with a microcontroller 28 andcontained within the driver component 36, which can be a portable device19 or a portable electronic device 100 (shown in FIG. 1). The portabledevice 19 has a housing 20 and is generally fashioned to be a smalldevice, such as a key fob, to allow for the housing 20 to be secured toa key ring (not shown) at a connection port 16. As shown in the figures,portable device is depicted as a key fob. However, it is envisioned thatthe portable device can be other small personal objects, such asjewelry, purses, or wallets.

The portable device 19 may be coupled to the ignition key or personaleffects of the driver such that if the ignition key or the driver isremoved from the vehicle after the vehicle is turned off, the portabledevice 19 is also removed from the vehicle. The housing 20 of theportable device 19 includes a port 22 for charging the power supply 24contained within the housing 20 and a LED light 26 or similar signallight connected to the receiver 27 and processor contained within thehousing 20. The light 26 is configured to receive power and remain litwhile the receiver 27 receives the broadcasted wireless signal. Thehousing 20 may additionally contain a transceiver configured tobroadcast a signal 101. A speaker 30 is additionally contained withinthe housing 20 and is connected to the transceiver or receiver.

The transceiver 70 of the buckle component 34 may be initialized 500 toa portable electronic device 100, such as a GPS capable cell phone, thatis carried by the guardian of the child, rather than the portable device19.

A portable electronic device 100 having a processor and a screen 104 forviewing images and video playing capabilities (e.g. video software, avideo card and speakers for audio) is presented for use. The device 100,through the software and hardware disclosed herein, may communicate witha communications network 250 capable of transmitting data to a server200 for further distribution to other users 300 via desktop computers orportable electronic devices 100. More specifically, FIG. 1 shows a topview of fully assembled portable electronic device 100. Portableelectronic device 100 can process data. By way of example, portableelectronic device 100 can generally correspond to a device that canperform as a camera, music player, game player, video player, personaldigital assistant (PDA), tablet computer and/or the like. The portableelectronic device 100 includes a mechanism for wireless communications,as either a transceiver type device or receiver only, such as a radio,portable computing device 100 can include an antenna that can bedisposed internal to a radio transparent portion of the housing of thedevice 100. The wireless communications can be based on many differentwireless protocols including for example 4G, 3G, 2G, Bluetooth, RF,802.11, FM, AM, and so on. Any number of antennas may be used, which canuse a single window or multiple windows depending on the needs of thesystem. In one embodiment, the system can include at least first andsecond antenna windows built into the housing.

The portable electronic device 100 may include an enabled locationdetermining device, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, atriangulation device, or through Wi-Fi assessment, for providinglocation information in the form of, for example, latitude and longitudevalues. The portable electronic device 100 may transmit, via acommunications network 250, some or all of the received data to acentral server 200, or similar network entity or mainframe computersystem, which then communicates data to additional user selected devices300. The portable electronic device 100 is configured through the use ofthe GPS capabilities of the device to validate the GPS location of theportable electronic device.

As shown in FIGS. 7-8, the buckle system 15 includes a female end 18which receives the male end buckle 14 to engage the alarm system 10 ofFIG. 1. The buckle component 34 of the alarm system 10 may be enclosedin the buckle system or have a separate compartment 32 (as shown inFIGS. 9-13) in communicable arrangement with the buckle system 15. Theinterior components of the separate component 32 and the bucklecomponent 34 are the same despite the housing. As shown in more detailin FIGS. 9-13, the buckle component 34 of the alarm system 10 iscontained within a housing 38 with LED light ports 40 on the exterior toallow for indication lights of low battery or transmitter functions anda reset button 42 for the transceiver 70. The housing contains aprocessor, a transceiver 70 as discussed above, a power supply 44, LEDlights or other light emitting bulbs for indication lights 46, 48. Theexterior of the housing has attachment slots 52 communicable with backof the housing to allow for connection to the buckle port 50 and providecommunication from a switch within the buckle 15 to the transceiver 70.

As discussed above, a single transceiver 70 of the buckle component 34is configured to communicate with a single portable device 19 orportable electronic device 100. It is envisioned that a single portabledevice 19 or portable electronic device 100 could be configured tocommunicate to multiple buckle components 34 of other car seats in thesame vehicle or in another vehicle through pairing of the bucklecomponent 34 with the communication system of the portable device 19 orportable electronic device 100.

FIGS. 14-16 outline the communications between the components 34, 36 ofthe different embodiments of the system 10. As shown in FIG. 14, a blockdiagram of the buckle component 34 provides a transceiver 70 with aprocessor 54 in communicative arrangement with the buckle 15 capable ofproducing a short-range radio-frequency signal 101. When the buckle 15is engaged, a switch is activated and communicates with the processor 54to send a status code to transmit a signal 101. The signal 101 isreceived and read by a transceiver (not shown) and processor 56contained within the portable device 19 driver component 36. If theportable device 19 is outside of a programmed distance range of thesignal 101 being transmitted by the buckle component 34, then an alarmsignal is activated by the processor by playing an auditory noisethrough the speaker 30 of the portable device 19. The portable device 19can silence the alarm by activating a snooze button 58 on the device 19.Once the portable device 19 is again in range of the signal 101, thealarm deactivates. The portable device 19 additionally may alert avisual alarm through a light activation 26 on the device 19 or through avibration alarm 106.

FIG. 15 outlines the communication between a Bluetooth-enabled bucklecomponent 34 with a portable electronic device 100. When the buckle 15is engaged, a switch is activated and communicates with the processor 54and Bluetooth transmitter to transmit a signal 101. The signal 101 isreceived by a synced portable electronic device 100 capable of receivingBluetooth signals. If the portable electronic device 100 is out of rangeof the signal 101 being transmitted by the buckle component 34, then analarm is activated. The portable electronic device 100 is equipped withapplication software 102 with stored information that can be accessed bythe software for alarm purposes. Within the application software 102,phone contacts and sound alerts are stored. When the alarm is activated,the speaker of the portable electronic device 100 can accesspre-selected auditory noises for playback to alert that the portableelectronic device 100 is out of range. The portable electronic device100 may also vibrate 106 or transmit text messages (SMS) 105 to theportable electronic device 100 or to pre-selected contacts stored withinthe software 102 of the portable electronic device 100. The portableelectronic device 100 may also access a wireless communications system140, such as OnStar®, a social media network 122, such as Facebook® orTwitter®, or access an e-mail account 124 to communicate the alarmstatus based upon pre-set selections by the user of the portableelectronic device 100. The portable electronic device 100 mayadditionally utilize the phone component of the portable electronicdevice 100 to contact emergency medical services (EMS) 126.

FIG. 16 outlines the communication between a Bluetooth-enabled bucklecomponent 34 and processor 54 with a portable electronic device 100.When the buckle 15 is engaged, a switch is activated and communicateswith the processor 54 and Bluetooth transmitter to transmit a signal101. The signal 101 is received by a synced portable electronic device100 capable of receiving Bluetooth signals. If the portable electronicdevice 100 moves out of range of the signal 101 being transmitted by thebuckle component 34, then an alarm is activated. The system 10 allowsfor the portable electronic device 100 to be out of range when thebuckle is first engaged, to allow for multiple users of the device. Thesystem requires the portable electronic device 100 to engage the alarmas well as engage the buckle. In this manner, only the portableelectronic device 100 that is located near the buckle at the time ofengagement will be synced to the device 10. The portable electronicdevice 100 and the buckle processor 54 are equipped to alert that thedevice 100 is out of range. Additionally, the buckle processor 54 isequipped to alert when the buckle is engaged through text message 58 tocontacts stored within the device storage 60. The text message 58 canprovide a message alerting the contact that the buckle is engaged alongwith location information accessed from the GPS 62 of the buckle 15.Additionally, the buckle processor 54 is equipped to alert EMS if thedevice 100 is out range. Within the application software 102, phonecontacts and sound alerts are stored. When the alarm is activated, thespeaker of the portable electronic device 100 can access pre-selectedauditory noises for playback to alert that the portable electronicdevice 100 is out of range. The portable electronic device 100 may alsovibrate or transmit text messages 105 to the portable electronic device100 or to pre-selected contacts stored within the software 102 of theportable electronic device 100. The portable electronic device 100 mayalso access a wireless communications system 140, such as OnStar®, asocial media network 122, such as Facebook® or Twitter®, or access ane-mail account 124 to communicate the alarm status based upon pre-setselections by the user of the portable electronic device 100. Theportable electronic device 100 may additionally utilize the phonecomponent of the portable electronic device 100 to contact emergencymedical services (EMS) 126.

As mentioned above, the portable electronic device may be equipped withsoftware 102 that works to communicate alarm alerts. As shown in FIGS.17-34, a software mobile application accessible by the portableelectronic device 100 upon installation and activation of the softwareupon the portable electronic device 100. The software may utilize theBluetooth capabilities of the portable electronic device 100 andtherefore, the pairing of the portable electronic device 100 and thebuckle component 34 must be done before use of the software 102. Asshown previously in FIG. 1, the device 100 through the software maycommunicate with a communications network 250 capable of transmittingdata to a server 200 for further distribution to other users 300 viadesktop computers or portable electronic devices 100.

As shown in FIG. 17, the application software 102 initially allows forthe setup of the device 10 through accessing the SETUP button 210 andallows the user to view the devices 10 that are synced to the portableelectronic device 100 through accessing the VIEW DEVICES button 212. Theapplication software 102 additionally features a notification bar 110 toalert the user of the status of the device 100 through a selection ofnotifications including armed, unarmed, connecting or initializing. Thisnotification bar 110 can be viewed across the application 102 in everyscreen. The user may modify settings for the application software 102 toconfigure specific alerts through accessing the SETTINGS button 214 andthe user may modify the default language settings through accessing theLANGUAGE SELECTION button 216. As shown in FIG. 18, the softwareapplication 102 allows the user to input alert information that includesalert contacts 112, text alert contacts 114, alert sounds 116, userinformation for the child and parent 118, and vehicle information 120.The software 102 may only link to the buckle component if the useractivates the device 10 from the portable electronic device 100.

As shown in FIG. 18, multiple alerts can be initiated through access ofthe button panel 201. Each button of the button panel 201 shall bediscussed in turn. As shown in FIG. 19, alert contact information can beentered through accessing the ALERT CONTACTS button 112 of FIG. 18 toinclude contact information from the user's phone contact information.This can be populated upon installation or by the user. The user canremove undesirable contacts by selecting the contact for removal througha TAP TO REMOVE button. If the user wishes for the contact to beselected for alerts, then the user can select to add the contact asshown in the ADD CONTACT prompt 228 shown in FIG. 20.

As shown in FIGS. 21-22, vehicle information can be populated into thestorage data of the software application 102 through access of theVEHICLE INFORMATION button 120. Multiple vehicles can be provided formultiple car seat systems 10. Additionally, the user may upload aphotograph of the vehicle into the application. As mentioned above, thepersonal electronic device 100 may further include a means for capturingan image, such as a camera, a video camera or other image sensor. Thesoftware 102 allows a user to upload image data 270 into the system. Itis envisioned that image data of the specific vehicle can aid EMS infinding the specific vehicle. As can be appreciated, some vehicles canbe highly stylized. Image data can therefore help find specificvehicles. This data 270 may then be transmitted as part of the alertnotification.

As shown in FIGS. 23-24, text alert contacts 119 can be populated intothe storage data of the software application 102 through access of theTEXT ALERTS button 114. Multiple entries 136 can be provided for textalert contacts 119 to alert multiple individuals by mobile messagingthrough an SMS generator (not shown) for generating SMS message. Analert screen 235 is provided upon successful entry of text alertcontacts 119.

As shown in FIGS. 25-26, e-mail contact fields 236 can be populated intothe storage data of the software application 102 through access of theALERT EMAILS button 218. Multiple entries can be provided for e-mailcontacts to alert multiple individuals by e-mail through accessing thee-mail application on the portable electronic device 100. An alertscreen 235 is provided upon successful entry of e-mail contacts. Asadditionally shown in FIGS. 25-26, the notification bar 110 may show thestatus of the system 10 as initializing through the alert BLUETOOTHINITIALIZING.

As shown in FIGS. 27-28, social media access can be granted throughpopulating the fields 237 of the social media window 238 accessed byselecting the ALERT SOCIAL MEDIA button 220. A drop-down menu 239 isprovided to select between multiple social media networks, such asFacebook® and Twitter®, and provide a social media account profile fornotification of an alert. A notification 240 at the bottom of the window238 indicates the status (i.e. enabled or disabled) of the social mediaalert. An alert screen 235 is provided upon successful enablement of thesocial media alert. As additionally shown in FIGS. 27-28, thenotification bar 110 may show the status of the system 10 as connectingthrough the alert CONNECTING.

As shown in FIGS. 29-30, alert sound information 116 can be selected bythe user to provide customizable alert sounds upon the alarm activationthrough the selection of the ALERT RINGTONE button 116. As shown, alisting of sounds can be made available for selection through adrop-down menu 146 so that the user can select the most appropriatesound for that user. The user may also record a custom sound throughaccessing the RECORD CUSTOM SOUND button 241. An alert screen 235 isprovided upon saving the sound.

As shown in FIG. 31, user information 148 for the child and parent canbe populated into the software data through accessing the PARENT/CHILDINFORMATION button 118. Upon alarm activation, this user information 148may be transmitted by the portable electronic device 100 to alertauthorities or contacts of the alarm activation. The inputted userinformation 148 includes the name of the parent and child, the age ofthe child, the gender of the child, and any medical information. Thesoftware 102 additionally stores the last GPS location of the portableelectronic device 100, the temperature of the child safety seat, theenvironment and time within the local storage data of the portableelectronic device 100. As shown in FIG. 32, a photograph of the childmay be uploaded to include in the user information 148. This data 280may then be transmitted as part of the alert notification.

As shown in FIG. 33, the alarm will activate if the portable electronicdevice 100 moves out of range of the buckle component 34. The alarm willactivate whether the application 102 is running in the foreground orbackground of the portable electronic device 100. Upon alarm activation,the portable electronic device 100 may, based upon the user'spreselected options provide an alert chosen from the group of vibration,auditory noises, visual alerts 122 on the screen 104, SMS text 850 tothe portable electronic device 100 or another portable electronic device100 as inputted by the user in the TEXT ALERTS screen (shown in FIG.34), social media alert, or EMS alert. In the event that a SMS text,social media alert, or EMS alert are given, the software 102 mayinstruct the server 200 transmit user data 270, 280 via thecommunications network 250. This user data 270, 280 may include vehicleinformation, vehicle location, vehicle images, parent names, child name,child age, child gender, child medical information, and child imagedata. The user may be given a chance to override the alarm, as shown inFIG. 33, through a prompt 122. If the user selects to override thealarm, the override command is stored on the device as an event in localstorage and the alarm, vibration and other notifications are ceased andthe override message 122 closes. If the user chooses not to override thealarm, the alarm, vibration and other notifications continue until theportable electronic device 100 moves into range of the buckle component34.

As shown in FIG. 35, a flowchart indicating the process of utilizing thesystem 10 is indicated. Upon initializing 500 the portable electronicdevice 100 to the buckle component 34 transceiver 70 and inputting 510within the system 10 a proximity distance, or the allowable distancebetween the portable electronic device 100 to the buckle component, thechild maybe engaged 520 safely in the seat. A wireless communication issent 530 to the portable electronic device and the location of theportable electronic device is communicated 540 to the transceiver. Thelocation of the portable electronic device and the location data of thetransceiver are compared 550 to verify the portable electronic device iswithin the proximity distance. If the proximity distance is exceeded560, then an alert is sent 570 to the electronic device, to EmergencyServices 580, or through the other means discussed herein. The systemcontinues to monitor the proximity distance until the child is unbuckledfrom the seat and the wireless signal is ended 565.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention well adapted toobtain all the ends and objects herein set forth, together with otheradvantages which are inherent to the structure. It will also beunderstood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility andmay be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations.This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Manypossible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing fromthe scope thereof. Therefore, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

When interpreting the claims of this application, method claims may berecognized by the explicit use of the word ‘method’ in the preamble ofthe claims and the use of the ‘ing’ tense of the active word. Methodclaims should not be interpreted to have particular steps in aparticular order unless the claim element specifically referring to aprevious element, a previous action, or the result of a previous action.Apparatus claims may be recognized by the use of the word ‘apparatus’ inthe preamble of the claim and should not be interpreted to have ‘meansplus function language’ unless the word ‘means’ is specifically used inthe claim element. The words ‘defining,’ ‘having,’ or ‘including’ shouldbe interpreted as open ended claim language that allows additionalelements or structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. An alert system for monitoring a child buckled ina child safety seat in a vehicle, the system comprising: a child safetyseat having a lap buckle having two or more buckle portions capable ofengaging with each other to secure a child within said safety seat, saidlap buckle further comprising at least one transceiver for wirelesscommunication and a sensor configured to activate said at least onetransceiver to generate a wireless signal upon buckling of the childsafety seat; at least one portable device configured to receive saidwireless signal, said at least one portable device programmablycontrolled to monitor that said at least one portable device remainswithin a predetermined programmed distance range from said child safetyseat while said two or more buckle portions are engaged with each other;said portable electronic device further comprising: a computing platformhaving an input for inputting user data; a processor; a memory incommunication with said processor; and a mechanism capable ofcommunicating data over a wireless communication network to transmit analarm notification and said user data to at least one user-selectedcontact; said user data elected from the group comprising: vehiclelocation data, vehicle information data, vehicle image data, parent namedata, child name data, child age data, child gender data, child medicaldata, and child image data; said alarm notification transmitted by saidmechanism to at least one user-selected contact selected from the groupcomprising: a pre-recorded voice message, an email message, and a textmessage; wherein said at least one portable device transmits an alarmsignal if said predetermined programmed distance range is exceeded bysaid at least one portable device; wherein said alarm signal includes atleast one alarm selected from the group comprising an audible alarm, avisual alarm, and a vibration alarm.
 2. The alert system of claim 1,wherein said alarm notification is further transmitted to a social medianetwork account profile.
 3. A system for monitoring occupancy of a childsafety seat in a vehicle, the system comprising: a child safety seathaving a buckle for securing a child within said safety seat, saidbuckle comprising at least one transceiver for transmitting a wirelesssignal; a portable device configured to receive said wireless signal,said portable device capable of communicating data over a wirelesscommunications network and having a computing platform for inputting auser's data and a memory for storing said user's data and a program forautomatically performing the following steps: storing a proximitydistance for said portable device to be located from said transceiverlocated within the child safety seat; comparing, by the portable device,proximate location data for said portable device in relation to saidtransceiver located within the child safety seat; providing an alarmsignal based on the result of said comparison of said proximate locationdata with said proximity distance, said alarm signal selected from thegroup comprising an audible alarm, a visual alarm, and a vibrationalarm; transmitting said user's data to at least one user-selectedcontact, wherein said user data is selected from the group comprising:vehicle location data, vehicle information data, vehicle image data,parent name data, child name data, child age data, child gender data,child medical data, and child image data; and transmitting an alarmnotification to at least one user-selected contact, said alarmnotification selected from the group comprising: a pre-recorded voicemessage, an email message, and a text message.
 4. The system of claim 3,wherein said alarm notification is further transmitted to a social medianetwork account profile.
 5. An alert system for monitoring a childbuckled in a child safety seat in a vehicle, the system comprising: achild safety seat having a buckle for securing a child within saidsafety seat, said buckle further comprising at least one transceiver forwireless communication and a sensor configured to activate said at leastone transceiver to generate a wireless signal upon buckling of the childsafety seat; at least one portable device configured to receive saidwireless signal and having a programmed distance range from said childsafety seat, said at least one portable device further comprising: acomputing platform for inputting user data; a processor; a memory incommunication with said processor and storing said user data; and adevice capable of communicating data over a wireless communicationnetwork; wherein said at least one portable device provides an alarmsignal and transmits said user data to at least one user-selectedcontact if said programmed distance range is exceeded by said at leastone portable device, said user data selected from the group comprisingvehicle data, vehicle image data, parent name data, child name data,child age data, child gender data, child medical data, and child imagedata; and wherein said alarm signal includes at least one alarm selectedfrom the group comprising an audible alarm, a visual alarm, and avibration alarm.
 6. The alert system of claim 5, wherein said user datais selected from the group comprising: vehicle data, vehicle image data,parent name data, child name data, child age data, child gender data,child medical data, and child image data.
 7. The alert system of claim5, wherein said alarm notification transmitted to at least oneuser-selected contact is selected from the group comprising: apre-recorded voice message, an email message, and a text message.
 8. Thealert system of claim 5, wherein said alarm notification is furthertransmitted to a social media network account profile.